“The Big White Square”

This project is all about me doing the things I love to do most in photography. Those things include creating beautiful light, creating intimate portraits, and meeting new people. The only rule I’ve given myself for this project is “The Big White Square” has to be in the background of every photo.

What is “The Big White Square”? “The Big White Square” is a reference to a four foot by four foot white diffuser (comprised of silk) which will be used as the background in all of the photos I will be shooting. Plus, as a friend of mine pointed out, the name of the project also works as funny pun to describe myself (thanks Amy!).

I recently initiated the project at Green Lake Park in Seattle, where my Dad and I set up “The Big White Square” near the walking path and baseball fields on the southeast side of the park. Things started slowly as, although everyone looked at us for the first 30 minutes and seemed interested in what we were doing, no one stopped to talk to us. So, I finally started asking people if I could photograph them and I ended up with 6 “yeses”. I found it interesting that every person who agreed to be photographed initially said, “Oh no, I’m not photogenic”, before subsequently asking for more information about the project. Once I further explained the project, everyone eventually offered me 10 to 20 minutes of their time. I am really pleased with the initial results from the Green Lake effort which you can check out at joshuahuston.com.

I plan to set up “The Big White Square” throughout Seattle’s neighborhoods and parks and hopefully at events like the Fremont Solstice parade. So, if you have any suggestions as to where I should try setting up “The Big White Square”, please send me an email to joshua@joshuahuston.com. Also, please follow me and “The Big White Square” project on Instagram at jhustonphoto and on Twitter at @JHustonPhoto.